Can Ronald Acuna Jr. become the first Atlanta Braves Home Run Derby winner?
No doubt about it, fan vote aside, it’s been an All-Star worthy season for Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. On Monday evening, he’ll get the chance to make his 2019 even more special when he participates in MLB’s annual Home Run Derby.
It might well be the first of many Derby appearances for Ronald Acuna Jr., who has taken the league by storm with his 21 home runs and helped give the Atlanta Braves a six-game lead in the National League East.
In case you aren’t aware, the MLB Home Run Derby will take place Monday night at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Acuna is set to face off against Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell in the first round.
The winner of the Home Run Derby will take home $1 million. And one lucky fan has a chance to win $250,000 by winning MLB.com’s Home Run Derby Bracket Challenge.
Despite all the hype Acuna received as he progressed his way through the minor leagues, Acuna still finds a way to “wow” the fans on a nightly basis, and he’ll have one of his biggest stages of all in Monday’s Home Run Derby.
Let’s be real — Acuna seems made for this kind of gig.
He’s aptly nicknamed “El Abusador” (the abuser) for his propensity for crushing baseballs in such a way that few others can rival, and fans across the country will be tuned in for that power display on Monday night.
Atlanta Braves fans will be hoping to see something from Acuna that they’ve never gotten to see from their team before in history — a Derby champion.
Several have had the chance, but none have brought home the hardware. Can Acuna be the first?
Here’s a brief look at past Atlanta Brave participants in the Home Run Derby and how they fared.
The first official Home Run Derby took place in 1985 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, with a member of the Atlanta Braves representing the National League.
It’d prove to be the first of many Atlanta Braves performances in the Derby that came up short of the crown.
1985
Dale Murphy was not far removed from back-to-back NL MVP trophies when he became the first Atlanta Braves player to take part in the Home Run Derby. Unfortunately, his 4 home runs were two shy of Cincinnati’s Dave Parker.
1987
Ozzie Virgil, Jr. was the face of the Atlanta Braves in the Derby of ’87, but like Dale Murphy two years before him, Virgil, Jr. came up short of the title. His two home runs weren’t enough to beat the Cubs’ Andre Dawson.
1993
A five-year drought of Braves Derby participants came to an end in 1993 when David Justice took his swings at Camden Yards, but his two home runs were far short of title-worthy. (It’s okay, Braves fans, remember Justice hit a much more important home run two years later).
1994
If fierce nicknames are helpful to Home Run Derby success, then maybe El Abusador is in luck. After all, in 1994, it was Fred McGriff – the “Crime Dog” – who led the National League with 5 homers, though that number wasn’t enough to top the kid from Seattle who wore his hat backwards.
1997
Chipper Jones – batting in the same American League stadium he had played World Series games in two years prior (and the same stadium where this year’s Derby will take place) had a modest 3 home run performance at the ’97 Derby (though every National Leaguer looked modest compared to Larry Walker’s 19!)
1998
The 1998 Derby field was the first Derby to feature not one Brave, but two! However, both Javy Lopez (5) and Chipper Jones (1) failed to come close to putting up huge numbers, even with the friendly mile-high air at Coors Field.
2000
Chipper Jones found that third time was not actually a charm when he competed in the 2000 Home Run Derby (he hit just two bombs), though Atlanta fans at Turner Field delighted in getting to watch their hometown hero in the event anyways.
2003
Gary Sheffield broke a two-year dry spell when he represented the famous 2003 powerful Atlanta Braves lineup in the Derby, though that power was somewhat lacking in the competition, as his 4 homers were not enough to make it past the first round.
2005
Like Gary Sheffield in 2003, Andruw Jones was having a terrific season with the bat in 2005, but it did not translate to Derby success. Andruw’s 5 homers did not make it past the first round of the Derby, though he still hit 51 for the season, so there’s that.
2017
If you didn’t catch the huge gap in the timeline, the Atlanta Braves went 11 years (11!) without representation in baseball’s Home Run Derby. The man to break the cold spell? Freddie Freeman…who strutted his stuff in the newest against-the-clock format of the Derby with 12 home runs in the Quarterfinals…but it wasn’t quite enough to edge Bryce Harper, who had 13.
In summation…that’s 10 times the Atlanta Braves have had a participant in the Home Run Derby.
They are 0-for-10…with none even especially coming that close.
Can El Abusador live up to his name and become the first?
Ronald Acuna, Jr. has been pretty impressive with the bat in 2019.
His 21 home runs are good for second on a very powerful Braves lineup, and 11th in the National League.
His wRC+ of 129 is very good and also among the top 20 in the NL.
But perhaps most noteworthy for an event like the Home Run Derby – baseball’s showcase event for its top sluggers – is that Acuna is one of the game’s most likable rising young stars.
He’s putting up all the numbers he has, and he’s still only 21 years old
He plays the game with a rabid enthusiasm that you’d expect from a 12-year old, reminding all those who see it that baseball – first and foremost – should be fun.
He’s other-worldly talented, as evident by his ability to crush a baseball. Baseballsavant notes that Acuna’s average exit velocity ranks in the 85th percentile among Major League hitters, while his hard-hit percentage is even better at the 92nd percentile – both factors that would play very well in the Home Run Derby.
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So can he do it? Can he become the first Brave to bring home the Derby trophy?
If so, then wonderful! Braves fans get to feel excitement over history being made and having even more of a reason to get hyped about their young star.
If not, it doesn’t change the promise of his young career, and Acuna (and the Atlanta Braves) certainly have far bigger goals in mind for 2019.
But it sure would be sweet to see a Brave take home the hardware.
To answer the proposed question, Acuna certainly has the pop to win a Home Run Derby, whether it be this year or in the future.
But the field is stacked with big-time power hitters this year, and Progressive Field plays better to left-handed hitters. That really favors Acuna’s first-round opponent in Josh Bell, as well as Joc Pederson from the other side of the bracket.
Next. 1st half stats, 2nd half improvements. dark
However, we all know Acuna is capable of hitting it out anywhere, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him bring Atlanta their first Home Run Derby title on Monday night.